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1128 Hours, 2546 Club Opal, New Rio Mamore, Zeta Lumiere System "Come on man, it'll be fun!" "Just let me be for now, I'll come out there soon." "Come on man, you're a good looking guy, these girls don't care what happened earlier today." "I said leave me be, I'll be out there soon." "Your loss man." Sitting at the bar, listening to the slamming beat of the music the DJ was playing in the club, Tony Shadwick sighed as his friends once again tried to get him out on the dance floor. He had just received a breakup text from his girlfriend earlier that day, and his friends evidently thought that going out to a seedy nightclub would help ease his pain. "What a fucking bitch." he muttered to himself as he downed his overpriced cocktail. "Couldn't even break up with me in person, had to send me a text message through her Chatter." he continued under his breath, looking depressed at his friends on the dance floor. "I'll just tell them I gotta go home after this. Feeling sick or something. That oughta wor-" he thought to himself, before his thought was cut off by another patron clapping him on the shoulder. The man was evidently drunk. He wasn't even facing him and he could still smell the alcohol on his breath. Finally, the other patron piped up. "Hey man, you look down in the dumps." he said. "How about I buy you a round?" he continued, slurring his words so heavily Shadwick could barely hear him over the sound of the club's music "Don't see why not." "Great! Anything special?" "Don't have a preference, it's your money man, you know best." "You're too kind man!" he said. "Hey, bartender!" he shouted out. "Get me and my friend here a Grunt Punter!" he continued. Turning back to Shadwick, he said "This oughta bring you back up!". A few moments, the bartender slapped two glasses filled with evidently some very expensive and very bright-colored liquor down on the bar. "That'll be seventy credits." he said. Fumbling with his wallet, the other patron slapped a hundred credit note on the bar. "Keep the change." he slurred, before turning to Shadwick. "Come on man, take a drink and get out there!" he said. Shadwick shrugged, casting off the fact his newfound friend had just overpaid by thirty credits, and began drinking the cocktail. As he set it down and turned to the other man to thank him for it, Shadwick heard gunshots, screams, and breaking glass, and snapped his head around to look at the doorway. "Turn that fucking music off, lights on!" screamed one of the new arrivals, pointing his weapon at the DJ. At the same time, the rest of the arrivals, all clad in combat gear, moved through the nightclub, their fingers on the triggers of their submachine guns and carbines, randomly flagging the crowd with their weapons, causing people to cower every time they did so. As the music died down and the lights came on, the same arrival who had ordered those things to happen came to the center of the dance floor. He cleared his throat, and began to speak. "I am Senior Rifleman Zachary Black, Mamorian Insurgent Army. Earlier today, me and my men were ambushed by a unit of Colonial Militia while on patrol. Only one man knew our location and patrol route, and evidently sold us out to the UNSC in order to collect the reward for doing so. I ask that Robert Haxon step forward so that he may be punished for his crime against the armed forces of independent Mamore." he said, his emphasis on certain words betraying a feeling of uncontrollable rage that had to be taken out on someone. He waited thirty seconds, and spoke again. "Mister Haxon, step forward, or we will be forced to take action to make others step forward." he said again, this time more calmly than the last. Looking to his right, Shadwick saw the drunk who had bought him the drink was shaking and sweating profusely as he tried to hide his face and blend into the crowd. After another minute, he spoke again. "No? You won't step forward? Suit yourself." Black said as he motioned with his hand towards a random section of the club, and his unit raised their weapons, ready to mow down those he had pointed out. "Fine! I'm here!" the man next to Shadwick called out. The hush was broken by whispers between the club's patrons as he made his way out to Black. Category:Safe Havens